Editor’s note: This article contains details about experiences at residential schools in B.C. and may be triggering to readers.
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society is offering toll-free 24-hour telephone support for survivors and their families at 1 (866) 925-4419. The KUU-US Crisis Line Society’s 24-hour line is available at 1-800-588-8717.
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A crowd gathered for a second time at Surrey City Hall on Friday (June 4) in memory of the 215 Indigenous children who lost their lives at a former residential school in Kamloops.
The BASMODI Team, which has been organizing events in support of the Indian farmers’ protests, organized the candlelight vigil Friday night after the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation confirmed there were remains of at least 215 Indigenous children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops.
“We stand in solidarity with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nations and all other Indigenous communities,” reads a poster for the event.
Honoured to MC the vigil by the South Asian community in front of Surrey City Hall for #kamloops215
— Annie Ohana (@ohana_annie) June 5, 2021
Incredible gratitude to multiple Indigenous speakers who stepped forward and spoke, with thanks to Fern Gabriel & @BrandonGabriel for setting us on the right path of truth pic.twitter.com/uCGJziGQZ8
Drumming- Surrey City Hall #215children #surreybc #surrey604 pic.twitter.com/v2spPeqM6J
— Daman Beatty (@Beatler) June 5, 2021
It was a blessing to hear @BaltejRcmp speak tonight. Reminding us all how interconnected we are. https://t.co/r0Yi1pwJco
— Jack Hundial (@JackHundial) June 5, 2021
It was a blessing to hear @BaltejRcmp speak tonight. Reminding us all how interconnected we are. https://t.co/r0Yi1pwJco
— Jack Hundial (@JackHundial) June 5, 2021
Last night's vigil in front of #SurreyBC City Hall was very sobering & difficult
— Sukh Dhaliwal (@sukhdhaliwal) June 5, 2021
But this is a part of the healing process & I was proud to stand in solidarity w/ Indigenous peoples acrosss Canada as we all mourn the tragic deaths of the 215 children found#cdnpoli #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/Z6mlxh1JiR
The weight of this tragedy is incomprehensible #215children #surreybc #surrey604 pic.twitter.com/lSN3fgIsRj
— Daman Beatty (@Beatler) June 5, 2021
Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said the remains of the children, some believed to be as young as three, were confirmed with the help of ground-penetrating radar.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School was Canada’s largest such facility operated by the Roman Catholic Church between 1890 and 1969 before the federal government took it over as a day school until 1978, when it was closed.
The candlelight vigil followed an event earlier in the day, hosted by Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee’s Skookum Lab, that saw hundreds turn out to Civic Plaza, in a sea of orange.
READ ALSO: Hundreds turn out in Surrey in honour of 215 Indigenous children, June 4, 2021
Meantime, there is an international mourning gathering at Peace Arch Park Saturday (June 5) at noon.
– With files from The Canadian Press
lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com
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